The FREE T Bucket plans
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You can down load Youngsters T-bucket plans from a link in the "Parts companies" below. | You can down load Youngsters T-bucket plans from a link in the "Parts companies" below. | ||
| − | Where you have essentially two body groups: '23-'25 and '26-'27, frame designs are all over the map. Many early Buckets were built on modified stock Model T or Model A frames. Others were built on early Chevy rails, or even channel iron frames. The "modern" T is usually sitting on a | + | Where you have essentially two body groups: '23-'25 and '26-'27, frame designs are all over the map. Many early Buckets were built on modified stock Model T or Model A frames. Others were built on early Chevy rails, or even channel iron frames. The "modern" T is usually sitting on a 2x3 or 2x4, 0.120-0.180 wall thickness, rectangular box tubing frame with a 2.5-3" tubular front cross member. |
Some frame makers make their frames one width front to back like a stock T frame, others have a frame that tapers from the rear to the front similar to a Model A frame. And others have other ideas. | Some frame makers make their frames one width front to back like a stock T frame, others have a frame that tapers from the rear to the front similar to a Model A frame. And others have other ideas. | ||
| − | For mounting stuff to the frame you can use 3/8 nuts welded for a flat surface; the tubing wall is too thin for mounting anything substantial. Try to find un-plated nuts. To remove the cad or zinc plate you can buff them. Muriatic acid is supposed to remove it after soaking for a few hours. You can use your Unibit to make a tapered hole just smaller than the nut hex size. Then, use a long bolt and screw the nut on the end. Tap the nut into the hole and square it up, carefully weld the nut to the tubing, let it cool, remove the bolt, clean out the thread with a tap, grind smooth if required. | + | For mounting stuff to the frame you can use 3/8" nuts welded for a flat surface; the tubing wall is too thin for mounting anything substantial. Try to find un-plated nuts. To remove the cad or zinc plate you can buff them. Muriatic acid is supposed to remove it after soaking for a few hours. You can use your Unibit to make a tapered hole just smaller than the nut hex size. Then, use a long bolt and screw the nut on the end. Tap the nut into the hole and square it up, carefully weld the nut to the tubing, let it cool, remove the bolt, clean out the thread with a tap, grind smooth if required. |
==Front suspension== | ==Front suspension== | ||
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====OEM==== | ====OEM==== | ||
Early Ford I-beam axles: | Early Ford I-beam axles: | ||
| − | *'28-'31 Model A | + | *'28-'31 Model A passenger car & pickup |
| − | *'32-'36 | + | *'32-'36 passenger car & pickup |
| − | *'37-'41 | + | *'37-'41 passenger car & pickup |
| − | *'42-'48 | + | *'42-'48 passenger car |
| − | *'42-'47 | + | *'42-'47 pickup |
Early Dodge/Plymouth tubular axles: | Early Dodge/Plymouth tubular axles: | ||
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*'33 & '35-'39 Plymouth | *'33 & '35-'39 Plymouth | ||
| − | Early Ford | + | Early Ford tubular axles: |
*'37-'40 V8-60 only | *'37-'40 V8-60 only | ||
| − | Any other factory I-beam axle from Chevy/GMC or Ford | + | Any other factory I-beam axle from: |
| + | *Chevy/GMC or Ford pickups | ||
| + | *'60s Ford & Chevy/GMC vans | ||
| + | *Early Chevy cars '36-'40 | ||
| + | *Early Chevy/GMC pickups '36-'55 | ||
====Fabricated==== | ====Fabricated==== | ||
| − | Many makers (Speedway Motors, Total Performance, and others) usually sold and described as dropped axle in 4-5-6" drops and made to accommodate '37-'48 Ford | + | Many makers (Speedway Motors, Total Performance, and others) usually sold and described as dropped axle in 4"-5"-6" drops and made to accommodate '37-'48 Ford passenger car and '37-'47 Ford pickup spindles, or '61-'66 Ford Econoline van spindles, or '49-'54 Chevrolet passenger car spindles. |
====New manufactured axles==== | ====New manufactured axles==== | ||
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*EZ-T-Bucket | *EZ-T-Bucket | ||
| − | === | + | ===Opinion on coils & shocks=== |
| − | Don't do it on the front of your car!! DON'T DO IT!! No matter that Car Craft did this on their project car. Ugly is ugly and almost nothing is uglier that those nasty towers on the front of the frame and coil springs and cups on the axle and shocks running up the middle. No chrome, no paint, nothing can hide this mistake | + | Don't do it on the front of your car!! DON'T DO IT!! No matter that Car Craft did this on their project car. Ugly is ugly and almost nothing is uglier that those nasty towers on the front of the frame and coil springs and cups on the axle and shocks running up the middle. No chrome, no paint, nothing can hide this mistake, so just don't do it. There are too many other options that at least look good. |
===Coil overs=== | ===Coil overs=== | ||
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''This section needs to be changed out of first-person narrative.'' | ''This section needs to be changed out of first-person narrative.'' | ||
| − | I just put 1/4 elliptical springs (kind of ) on My 1922 T | + | I just put 1/4 elliptical springs (kind of) on My 1922 T Speedster. I needed to lower the rear and didn't want to Z the frame since this car was an authentic old racer. The springs were free from a swap meet at the end of the day and the guy didn't know what they came off of. I think they were probably overload springs for a pickup. They are S shaped, and look like half of a stock T or A rear spring. I used some 4x4 angle iron for an L-shaped bracket and added gussets for strength. I drilled holes in the frame to mount them to the outside of the frame rails. I have a Moore rear-mounted drive line aux trans that uses the modified torque tube and modified rear stock radius rods. With this set up I used the shackles that came with the springs and made new brackets that I welded to hang under the rear axle housing. The first time out was last year's local 4th of July parade and there was a lot of rear side sway motion on rough spots in the road or the railroad tracks so I have since added a panhard bar. I have seen a few 1/4 ellipticals on the front of T buckets that looked good. There is limited space at the rear of a T body, some of the T Lakesters rear 1/4 elliptical springs look good and fit well in the chassis. |
===4 link/hair pins=== | ===4 link/hair pins=== | ||
| − | You can build your own hairpins from 7/8" DOM steel tubing. If you have a blower or lots of horsepower you will want to use 1 inch DOM | + | You can build your own hairpins from 7/8" DOM (drawn over mandrel) steel tubing. If you have a blower or lots of horsepower you will want to use 1 inch DOM tubing. You can use a Harbor Freight pipe bender to bend the tubing. You have to cut the pieces longer than finished length to work in that style bender. Cut the end that has to be tapped 1 inch longer than the finished dimension, weld a small piece of scrap in that 1 inch area to grip in the vise so you won't get teeth marks on the finished piece. Use a large right angle drill and start with the bit that will just remove a little bit of material then keep changing bits until you get to the size required for the tap. Then, drill out that extra one inch with the bit size to match the OD of your tap. ONLY GO ONE INCH DEEP. This will allow you to start the tap in straight and get good threads. Then you can cut off that extra inch, and redrill with the correct size for the tap, finish tapping to the new length and have good straight threads. |
When drilling or tapping use plenty of tapping fluid or thread cutting oil; you can use a tubing notcher that you bolt to a steel table top and tack a piece of scrap angle iron so you can clamp the tubing at the right angle to cut the ends. | When drilling or tapping use plenty of tapping fluid or thread cutting oil; you can use a tubing notcher that you bolt to a steel table top and tack a piece of scrap angle iron so you can clamp the tubing at the right angle to cut the ends. | ||
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The simplicity of a T-Bucket, a Total Performance car in particular can allow you to move the engine forward. A SB Ford with a C4 transmission will almost certainly require at least a 4" forward movement as the overall length of the combination put the transmission tailshaft within ~4-5" of an 8" differential yoke. This additional 4" will allow for an ~9" driveshaft. The usual Chevy 350/350 combination will benefit from a 3-4 inch forward movement by allowing use of an HEI ignition. The only drawback is that you cannot use the manufacturer's driveshaft, and a new one will need to be built. Another benefit of a 4" forward moving is that the engine compartment looks "balanced" - that is, the engine isn't jammed against the firewall. The will entail moving the radiator forward a bit as well. | The simplicity of a T-Bucket, a Total Performance car in particular can allow you to move the engine forward. A SB Ford with a C4 transmission will almost certainly require at least a 4" forward movement as the overall length of the combination put the transmission tailshaft within ~4-5" of an 8" differential yoke. This additional 4" will allow for an ~9" driveshaft. The usual Chevy 350/350 combination will benefit from a 3-4 inch forward movement by allowing use of an HEI ignition. The only drawback is that you cannot use the manufacturer's driveshaft, and a new one will need to be built. Another benefit of a 4" forward moving is that the engine compartment looks "balanced" - that is, the engine isn't jammed against the firewall. The will entail moving the radiator forward a bit as well. | ||
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==Steering assembly== | ==Steering assembly== | ||
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